The 40 Best Bars in Canada
No Canadian bar made this year's world list, but the best bars in Canada hold eight places in the top 50 of North America's 50 Best Bars 2026. The Keefer Bar, in Vancouver's historic Chinatown, builds its drinks around old apothecaries, pours a fine Forager's Martini, and is No. 7 on that list, named the best bar in Canada. In Toronto's Little Italy, Bar Pompette, from Maxime Hoerth and Jonathan Bauer-Monneret, keeps a French bistro feel, serves a smoky Paloma Quemada, and sits one place behind at No. 8. In Victoria, Humboldt Bar, a low-lit lounge named for the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, mixes its Tree Hugger with cacao butter-washed vodka and is No. 53 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list for 2026. The Caesar was first mixed in 1969 by Walter Chell at the Calgary Inn. Bar Pompette takes walk-ins only, and so does Humboldt Bar. These are the forty we would start with.
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarThe Keefer Bar
An apothecary-themed cocktail bar on Keefer Street in Chinatown, open for more than a decade, with a dark, moody room and a list of 'prescriptions' built on fresh herbs, roots and spices under beverage director Amber Bruce. The bar is 19 and over. It was named The Best Bar in Canada at North America's 50 Best Bars 2026, where it ranked No. 7.
135 Keefer Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1X3Sun–Thu 4pm–1am, Fri–Sat 4pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarBar Pompette
A Parisian-café-styled cocktail bar in Little Italy, with whitewashed brick, a marble bartop and tawny leather banquettes, ranked on North America's 50 Best Bars. The drinks program leans on French ingredients and locavorism, backed by an in-house ice program, an Old World wine list and shareable plates from sister restaurant Pompette. Walk-ins only, with live jazz on Sundays. It currently stands at No. 8 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026, and placed No. 55 on The World's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2025.
607 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1B5Sun–Thu 6pm–1am, Fri–Sat 6pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarJune on Cambie
A two-level, brasserie-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar in Cambie Village from the team behind The Keefer Bar, serving French-influenced West Coast cooking since early 2025. The main floor is built around a long bar with views into the open kitchen, pouring classic and house cocktails alongside a wine list. It entered North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 at No. 17. The basement vinyl bar, Lala, is listed separately.
3305 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1T4Sun-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTHotel BarLibrary Bar
The cocktail bar of the Fairmont Royal York, redesigned in reference to the hotel's Art Deco heritage, with a menu of modern cocktails organized by literary genre and its signature Birdbath Martini served tableside. It ranks No. 19 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and holds the list's Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2026. It was a Top 4 finalist for Best International Hotel Bar at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
Fairmont Royal York, 100 Front St W, Toronto, ON M5J 1E3Daily 12pm–12amFull profile- MotherNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar
Mother
A compact Queen West cocktail bar built around hyper-seasonal produce and fermentation, with a philosophy of elevating Canadian cocktails through natural ingredients. Its current menu, The 5th Horizon, is paired with a rotating food program drawn from global cuisines. Ranked No. 22 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.
874 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1G3, CanadaFull profile
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NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarCivil Works
A 120-seat Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar from the Civil Liberties team, set on the mezzanine of the 1932 Waterworks building. The menu features 21 cocktails tied to the building's history alongside a water program that demineralizes Toronto tap water and rebalances it to regional mineral profiles. Ranked No. 29 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.
Waterworks Food Hall, 50 Brant St, Toronto, ON M5V 3G9Sun & Tue–Thu 5pm–12am, Fri–Sat 5pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarProphecy
A subterranean cocktail bar beneath Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver, pairing creative cocktails and whiskey tastings with share plates and live entertainment. The room leans on the hotel's century of heritage, styled as a hidden haven for conversation and late nights. Recognized in Canada's 100 Best 2026.
801 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7Sun–Thu 4pm–1am, Fri–Sat 4pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasyCivil Liberties
A menu-free Bloorcourt cocktail bar serving bespoke drinks since 2014, with bartenders building cocktails to each guest's taste from a back bar of over 210 spirits. The room pairs a back-to-basics industrial feel with an unpretentious neighborhood crowd, and the team also runs a cocktail school. Ranked No. 21 on North America's 50 Best Bars in 2024 and 2025. It sits at No. 54 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
878 Bloor Street W, Toronto, OntarioFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarBotanist
The bar and Cocktail Lab inside Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, where creative beverage director Grant Sceney builds seasonal drinks around Pacific Northwest ingredients, including foraged sea asparagus and kombu, as in the Marine Martini. The venue spans four botanical-themed spaces: the bar and lab, a garden, a dining room and a library room. It holds No. 38 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and 2 Pins in The Pinnacle Guide.
1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9Full profile- The CloakroomNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasy
The Cloakroom
A 25-seat bar hidden inside the Maison Cloakroom tailoring shop in the Golden Square Mile, open since 2015. There is no printed menu; drinks are built to order after a consultation with the bartender, drawing on hand-carved ice, rare and vintage spirits and pre-Prohibition templates. Named number one bar in Canada in 2026 and ranked on North America's 50 Best Bars.
2175 Rue de la Montagne, Bureau 100, Montreal, QC H3G 1Z8Sun–Thu 4pm–1am, Fri–Sat 4pm–3amFull profile 
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasyAtwater Cocktail Club
A speakeasy-style neighborhood bar in Little Burgundy with a mirrored ceiling and silver leather banquettes, run on a walk-ins-only policy for groups of six or fewer. Cocktails built on housemade syrups sit alongside bar bites that run from pasta to escargots. It was No. 36 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2025 and is No. 62 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
512 Atwater Ave, Montreal, Quebec H4C 2G5, CanadaDaily 5pm–3am (walk-ins only)Full profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTHotel BarBar Mordecai
A Dundas West bar styled after Wes Anderson films and vintage hotel lobbies, with a ground-floor cocktail bar and four private karaoke rooms. The menu runs to shared plates, local and international beer, wines by the glass or bottle, and a creative, crushable cocktail list. It currently stands at No. 94 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
1272 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1X7Wed 6pm–12am, Thu 6pm–1am, Fri–Sat 6pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarHumboldt Bar
An intimate cocktail bar on the arcade level of the DoubleTree Victoria hotel in downtown Victoria. It takes its name and theme from the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt and serves cocktails alongside small plates from a kitchen that closes before the bar. Walk-in only. The bar holds No. 53 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
722 Humboldt Street, V8W 1B1Wed-Thu 5pm-12am; Fri 5pm-1am; Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 6pm-12am; closed Mon-TueFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarBagheera
A hidden cocktail lounge in Chinatown inspired by the opulence of Victorian India and its railway-era splendour, with Rudyard Kipling references threaded through the drinks program. Entry is deliberately concealed, and reservations are capped at six guests. It sits at No. 59 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
518 Main St, Vancouver, BCSun–Mon 5pm–12am, Tue–Thu 5pm–1am, Fri–Sat 5pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarMeo
A cocktail bar in Vancouver's Chinatown styled after the illicit nightlife of 1970s Hong Kong, with pink-heavy love-motel decor, fabric draping, a vintage jukebox and a curved banquette dubbed the Honeymoon Suite. Cocktails feature ingredients such as shiso, shochu and sancho pepper, and the food menu runs to retro indulgences like foie gras and baba au rhum. It sits at No. 64 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
265 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8Mon–Thu 5:30pm–12am, Fri–Sat 5:30pm–2am, Sun 5:30pm–11pmFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasyCry Baby Gallery
A bar concealed behind a working art gallery in Little Portugal, with peeling walls, exposed piping and a butcher's-block bar top that lean into a deliberately unfinished, DIY-speakeasy feel. The list runs to cocktails built on housemade syrups, infusions and bitters, alongside oysters, low-intervention wines and regional craft beer. No reservations. It sits at No. 69 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
1468 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1Y6Full profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarMissy's
Missy's is an upstairs room in Calgary's Beltline built around gin Martinis, champagne by the glass and the bottle, sherry, Madeira and a deep by-the-glass wine list. Its namesake This That boards of cheese and charcuterie come with Spanish conservas and anchovy toasts. There are no reservations and no minors, walk-ins only.
348A 14 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0M3Mon-Thu 4pm-1am; Fri-Sat 4pm-2am; Sun 4pm-1amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasyLaowai
A speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Chinatown entered through a freezer door inside sister restaurant BLND TGER. The room channels 1920s Shanghai with velvet, copper, malachite and leather, and the drinks program centers on baijiu and cocktails built on bamboo, ginseng, lychee and Sichuan peppercorn. Seating is first come, first served for small groups. It sits at No. 72 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
251 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6Tue–Sun eveningsFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasySuite 115
Suite 115 bills itself as Little Italy's hidden cocktail bar, tucked behind an unmarked entrance at 532 College Street. Opened in May 2024, it operates walk-in only, with cocktail classes offered alongside its drinks menu. It sits at No. 74 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
532 College St, Toronto, ONMon-Sun 5:30pm–2amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarBar Bello
Billed as Canada's first cocktail bar dedicated to the art of aperitivo, Bar Bello sits in Little Italy under the Northern Hospitality group, co-owned by Kevin Demers and Benny Bello. The room leans on warm colors, dark leather and checkered tile, with an extensive amaro and vermouth selection, Italian-inspired small bites, live music and amaro tastings. It currently stands at No. 75 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
6740 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2S 3C7Tue–Sun 4pm–12amFull profile- ProofNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar
Proof
A cocktail bar on 1 Street SW in Calgary's Beltline district. It serves a rotating seasonal cocktail list alongside a food menu, and operates daily from late afternoon. It currently stands at No. 78 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
1302 1 Street SW, T2R 0W8Tue-Sat 4pm-1am; Sun-Mon 4pm-11pmFull profile - The ColdroomNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasy
The Coldroom
A hidden speakeasy in the heart of Old Montreal, entered through an unmarked door at the corner of Rue Saint-Amable and Rue Saint-Vincent. The bar takes no reservations and seats guests first-come, first-served, and has become a fixture of the city's cocktail scene. It sits at No. 97 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
Rue Saint-Vincent, Montréal, QC H2Y 1G8Sun–Thu 5pm–1am, Fri–Sat 3pm–1amFull profile - Bar RavalNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar
Bar Raval
Grant van Gameren's Spanish-style bar in Little Italy, known for its undulating Gaudí-esque carved mahogany interior and barrel tables. It serves tapas and cocktails, operates largely as standing room, and takes no reservations.
505 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5Daily 1pm–1amFull profile 
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarMount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions
A cocktail bar and wood-fired grill in Mount Pleasant disguised as a vintage thrift shop, operated by Turntable Hospitality. The room pairs a browsable vintage-shop front with a full bar program and a grill-driven food menu, open daily from noon. It currently stands at No. 91 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
67 W 6th Ave, Vancouver, BCSun–Thu 12pm–1am, Fri–Sat 12pm–3amFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarSimpl Things
Simpl Things is a neighborhood cocktail bar on Dunn Avenue in Parkdale and the first bar of bartender Evelyn Chick, who designed the room herself, with 27 seats inside and a terrace. The kitchen serves Italian cafe food by day and Asian-leaning plates at night, and a monthly pop-up, Simpl Exchange, hands it to a guest chef. The drinks list mixes house Cosmopolitan variations and seasonal cocktails built on Ontario produce with a full non-alcoholic menu, and many drinks come in a smaller 'teeny' pour.
269 Dunn Ave, Toronto, ON M6K 2S1Wed-Fri 12pm-12am, Sat-Sun 10am-12am, closed Mon-TueFull profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarCitrus & Cane
A tropical-style cocktail bar in downtown Victoria that opened in 2020 and has since added a food menu. It is independently owned and operates a walk-in policy with a maximum group size of five and seating time limits. It sits at No. 87 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
606 Trounce AlleyWed-Sun 5pm-11pmFull profile- H Tasting LoungeHotel Bar
H Tasting Lounge
H Tasting Lounge is the lounge bar of The Westin Bayshore, facing Coal Harbour with direct access to the Seawall. It pairs a signature cocktail program with small tasting plates built on British Columbia seafood. A daily happy hour runs from 3pm to 5pm.
The Westin Bayshore, 1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver, BC V6G 2V4Daily 11:30am-12amFull profile - ChupitoCocktail Bar
Chupito
Chupito is an agave-led Mexican cocktail bar that opened in 2021 in a shipping container behind a Gastown taqueria and moved to Yukon Street in Mount Pleasant in April 2025. The drinks center on tequila, mezcal and Mexican flavors with a low-waste approach, served with seafood-led plates inspired by Sinaloa. Much of the space is a covered patio, where the original yellow container bar was reinstalled in 2026.
2450 Yukon St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1A7Wed-Thu 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-late, Sun 5pm-11pm, closed Mon-TueFull profile - EllipsisCocktail Bar
Ellipsis
Ellipsis is a cafe and cocktail bar in unit 205 of Arthur Erickson's Waterfall Building on West 2nd Avenue, opened in 2025 by Ming Yang of Honolulu Coffee. It serves coffee and pastries by day and turns to cocktails and share plates in the evening, in a 47-seat room of brushed steel, wood and burnt orange upholstery. It hosts guest bartender shifts, including one from Thunderbolt in Los Angeles in April 2026.
1540 W 2nd Ave #205, Vancouver, BC V6J 1H2Wed-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun-Mon 10am-10pm, closed TueFull profile - Nomo NomoCocktail Bar
Nomo Nomo
Nomo Nomo is a 26-seat Japanese dining bar and cocktail club on Commercial Drive, opened in September 2025 by Lunch Lady alumni Benedict Lim and Michael Tran with Wayne Chow and partners. The food draws on yoshoku, Japanese Western-style comfort cooking, and on convenience-store snacks reworked as bar plates. Cocktails such as the Kuri, a clarified drink with chestnut makgeolli and Hokkaido milk, sit beside sake and Japanese whisky highballs.
1268 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3X4Tue-Thu 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 4:30pm-1am, Sun 5pm-11pm, closed Mon (Instagram bio; the own site prints no hours)Full profile 
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarNo Vacancy
A moody cocktail bar and dining room on Toronto's Ossington strip, blending Korean flavors with Italian, French and Japanese influences. Bar manager Troy Gilchrist leads a creative cocktail program in a space dressed with commissioned artwork, including a Roy Lichtenstein-inspired mural. Tasting and prix fixe menus run early in the evening, with late-night walk-ins for drinks and snacks. The bar holds No. 82 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
74 Ossington AvenueTue-Wed and Sun 6pm-1am; Thu-Sat 6pm-2amFull profile- Slice Of LifeNORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasy
Slice Of Life
Hidden behind the faux facade of a printing shop at College and Bathurst, Slice of Life is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar that describes itself as Toronto's artistic cocktail haven. A basement laboratory outfitted with centrifuges, rotary evaporators, ultrasonic infusers and dehydrators supplies the cocktail program, served in a darkened room of red velvet banquettes reached through a mirrored hallway. It currently stands at No. 90 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
409 College St, Toronto, ON M5T 1T1Wed–Mon eveningsFull profile 
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarBar Bisou Bisou
An intimate Old Montreal aperitif bar of roughly 60 seats, set among exposed stonework and Portuguese tile on Rue Saint-Vincent. The list centers on fortified wines, amari and low- and no-alcohol cocktails, paired with charcuterie, cheese, conservas and Mediterranean small bites.
416 Rue Saint-Vincent, Montreal, QC H2Y 1E6Full profile
NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail BarShelter
A cocktail bar on 1 Street SW in Calgary's Beltline district, describing itself as an intimate, low-lit room. It publishes a seasonal cocktail list, a spirits list, a food menu and a happy-hour menu, and does not take reservations, operating a text-based waitlist when at capacity. The latest lists place it at No. 98 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026.
1210 1 Street SW, T2R 0V4Tue-Sat 5pm-late; Sun 7pm-late; closed MondayFull profile- Milky Way Cocktail BarSpeakeasy
Milky Way Cocktail Bar
A tropical-leaning cocktail bar from Groupe Barroco, reached by a staircase above its pizzeria Fugazzi in Pointe-Saint-Charles. The room mixes black light and neon with vaulted glass ceilings, hanging plants and a marble bar. Cocktails are intricate but accessible, with ABV listed for each drink.
1886 Rue Centre, Montreal, QC H3K 1H9Daily 5:30pm–3amFull profile - The Lobby Lounge & RawBarHotel Bar
The Lobby Lounge & RawBar
The Lobby Lounge and RawBar occupies the marble ground floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Coal Harbour, with a two-sided fireplace, a stage for nightly live music and a long bar. The cocktail list leans on Japanese ingredients and is served alongside a sushi and raw bar menu. By day the room serves lunch and bento boxes.
Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9Sun-Thu 9am-12am, Fri-Sat 9am-1amFull profile 
Cocktail BarGood Thief
Good Thief is a Vietnamese cocktail bar on Main Street from siblings Vincent and Amelie Nguyen, who also run the restaurant Anh and Chi next door. The drinks list builds on Vietnamese flavors, from a whisky and sake riff on beef pho to a Toki highball with watermelon and Thai basil, and many drinks can be made without alcohol. The kitchen serves mon nhau, Vietnamese drinking snacks such as grilled skewers and fried frog legs, and a late happy hour starts at 9pm.
3336 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3M7Daily 5pm-late, plus Sat-Sun 3pm-5pm (own site gives no closing time)Full profile- Bar BananeCocktail Bar
Bar Banane
A French-inspired cocktail bar on Ossington Avenue from the team behind La Banane, serving canapés such as Nova Scotia lobster croustade and smoked sturgeon rillettes alongside larger plates like lobster roll américaine and steak frites. The drinks list pairs signature cocktails, among them the Forbidden Negroni, with wine and local craft beer. Reservations are accepted, with space held for walk-ins.
227A Ossington Ave, Toronto, ONWed–Thu 6pm–12am, Fri–Sat 6pm–2amFull profile - BarChefCocktail Bar
BarChef
Frankie Solarik's modernist cocktail bar on Queen West, billed as The Modern Cocktail Experience. A rotating quarterly menu spans aperitifs, spirit-forward drinks and cocktails built with molecular techniques, with all infusions, syrups and bitters made in house. The room is dimly lit, with dark curtains, exposed brick and an illuminated back bar.
472 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B2, CanadaFull profile 
SpeakeasyMahjong Bar
Mahjong Bar is a cocktail bar on Dundas West entered through a pink, neon-lit corner store and a keyhole-shaped door at its back. The room has checkered floors, a tropical mural and a lacquered pink marble bar, and the cocktails mix East Asian and Western flavors, such as a soju spritz and an oolong whisky sour, with Chinese small plates from the kitchen.
1276 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1X7Thu 7pm-1am, Fri-Sat 7pm-2am, Sun 7pm-12am, closed Mon-WedFull profile
The best bars by city in Canada
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These 40 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Canada, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.